Overlooking Central California coves and beaches, a modern, eco-friendly home built into the stunning, natural Big Sur landscape is for sale for the first time ever for $35 million.
The three-bedroom home with huge walls of glass is located in Big Sur atop a ridge on a peninsula called Cooper Point. Sitting on about 109 acres of redwood forest, the residence spans 2,745 square feet. There’s also a caretaker’s cottage on the property.
Designed in 2004, the standout home was one of the last works of architect Mickey Muennig, who died in 2021. Muennig is famous for building organic, flowing buildings that define much of the Big Sur’s architecture.
The home at 46400 Clear Ridge Road is environmentally conscious and designed to “disappear into the landscape,” according to Coldwell Banker Realty, which holds the listing. There’s a well for a water source, solar power, a sod roof providing natural insulation and aerodynamic architecture protecting the property from the elements.
The home’s owner, venture capitalist Bob Pavey, told the Wall Street Journal that Muennig spent a day on the land figuring out how to build on it. He decided on an unusual airplane-wing shape for the design, but because of tight building restrictions it took close to seven years complete the project, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Mike Gilson and Ben Heinrich of Coldwell Banker Realty are the listing agents.
“This home and its stunning property offer an escape into a private world of your own,” Gilson said in a statement. “The design provides simplicity, and at the same time radiates luxury and artistic integrity. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own an architectural masterpiece located in Big Sur’s gorgeous and protected coastal biosphere.”
The home features walls of glass, a spacious kitchen, two fireplaces, a wine cellar, radiant heat, concrete floors and a stainless-steel Jacuzzi. A vegetable garden and orchard grow next to a 536-square-foot, one-bedroom, one-bath guest house, which mimics the main home’s aesthetic.
The property, set between Pfeiffer Beach to the south and Andrew Molera State Park to the north, “literally connects the two park lands as the sole private property contiguous to both,” according to a news release. “The private land includes coastal acres, ranging from sandy beaches, redwood forest, creek bed and 360-degree view mountaintops.”
The main home has a three-car garage. There are three miles of private trails, too.
This story was originally published April 18, 2022 1:52 PM.
David Caraccio is a video producer for The Sacramento Bee who was born and raised in Sacramento. He is a graduate of San Diego State University and longtime journalist who has worked for newspapers as a reporter, editor, page designer and digital content producer.